Recently, CIS caught up with Elissa Reidy, one of our summer interns from back in 2004. She reminisced about her internship experience and updated us on what she's up to now.

Briefly describe what your research project involved.

I worked for Professor Stefi Alison Baum, helping her prepare a proposal for telescope time on NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope by examining images of galaxies. I also helped search for binary stars.

What was your favorite experience during the internship?

Testing out the laboratory assignments in the new imaging science textbook written by RIT faculty. I also enjoyed the weekly volleyball games!

How did the internship influence or change you?

The summer gave me a positive introduction to college-level science and realistic look at what research scientists actually do on a day-to-day basis.

What did you do after the internship?

I graduated from Honeoye Falls-Lima High School in 2005. I then attended Harvard University and graduated with an A.B., cum laude in Social Studies in 2009 (but I took a few classes in Astronomy!).

What are you up to now?

I am currently in my third year of law school at the University of Michigan and will graduate this May (2013).

What are your future plans?

I am planning to spend next year working for a legal services organization in Chicago through a public interest fellowship program. In fall 2014, I will begin work as an associate at Ropes & Gray, a law firm in Boston, MA.

Would you recommend this experience to others?

Definitely. The summer internship program is a great way to get hands-on experience working with professors and graduate students on real scientific research. It's also a lot of fun! I had a fantastic time getting to know some of the CIS faculty and grad students, as well as the other summer interns.